Bathinda: Farm forums SKM, KMM and AKM have announced plans to block rail traffic across the state for three hours, from 12 to 3 pm, on April 17, to protest against slow procurement of wheat. Earlier, farmer organisation BKU Ekta Ugrahan had called for protests at deputy commissioner offices on April 16, while farmer organisation BKU Ekta Sidhupur, affiliated to SKM Non Political, held protests at District Food Supplies Controllers on Wednesday. The farmer groups want relaxation to be given in quality control norms in the light of grain having been shrivelled and discoloured due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm. As per initial estimates, the crop in over 1.30 lakh acres has been impacted, where grain has shrunk and gone discoloured apart from rise in moisture content beyond the permissible limit of 12%.As per sources, central teams are visiting various districts and collecting samples of wheat to be tested in a Chandigarh lab.Commenting on the issue, KMM leader Sarvan Singh Pandher said, “Both central and state govts are not serious in solving issues being faced by farmers in selling their crop, which has been impacted due to rains and hails in late March and April. We have now decided to disrupt rail traffic on Friday.” BKU Ekta Ugrahan president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that the central govt has provided relaxations for Rajasthan, but no such relaxation has been given so far to Punjab, due to which the procurement agencies are shying away from making purchases.
